I wonder if he was delivering... No, couldn't be, could it? A lorry load of satnavs?
John
|
|
Is that not just the same photo from 2 different angles?
|
>> Is that not just the same photo from 2 different angles?
Don't think so; the road markings at the edge of the carriageway are missing in one picture.
|
So perhaps that's how the dog died ...
|
I wonder what make of SatNav?
Not a very good advert for them or Halfords.
|
>> I wonder what make of SatNav?
>> Not a very good advert for them or Halfords.
Doesn't matter, none of the basic makes are set for HGV's, you need a HGV overlay on top, that provides restrictions data.
|
You cannot beat the old way we used to do it, at one time on such a journey the driver would have stopped for a bit of breaky at a proper cafe, all driver's there would have passed the time of day with each other and he'd have been advised of the best route by an old hand with up to date input by any localish drivers overhearing...that's all gone now except in a few places.
Chances are he could well be an occasional driver who hasn't a clue where he's going, might have had the cold shoulder from the office staff (who may have withheld maps/instructions to muck the lad about, i've seen it happen) where he collected the truck and similar from the other drivers, even if they shared language.
Technology is not a replacement for knowledge, common sense, skill and experience, these episodes will become the norm rather than the exception, it's progress and should be welcomed.
If 'twer me i'd have asked for PU's address and blagged some tea and toast.;)
|
What GB said, but.....
.... all that know-how's useless if the driver don't ask.
I suspect it's either slackness on the part of the traffic office or the driver, the only mitigation being that he's been diverted for some reason. Most RDC's (Regional Distribution Centres) would have a list of pre-set routes which drivers are expected to follow, and it's up to the supervisor to ensure that the driver knows where he's going; to avoid incidents of this nature, and also to help keep track of the vehicle, and its contents. Few bobs worth of gear on a truck like that, most easily car-bootable.
If he hasn't been provided with a route, or hasn't followed it, that's especially inexcusable in this case as he's got a high-cube trailer which as you can all see is limited as to where you can take it, especially in that sort of area.
Any Tesco artic driver (or trolley dolly as they're known in the trade!) will tell you that if you can't provide a reasonable excuse for a detour from the planned route, say goodbye to your mates cos you won't be working there again!
Last edited by: Harleyman on Wed 5 Jan 11 at 21:16
|
|
I know that road well - travelled it regularly on 2 and 4 wheels - there is a bridge in Beddgelert that regularly gets broken by these idiots - local council have put signs up - but obviously the drivers don't see or understand them. According to the local paper he got stuck on the way to Aberystwyth from Bangor branches - the Police were called to escort him out then he got stuck on the return journey. Obviously thick.
|
If only more mainstream satnavs had an HGV mode though. The ones that are aimed at these drivers tend to cost a bit more. Although not much more, e.g.
www.digitalreviews.net/reviews/navigation/pronavs-pnn-300-satnav-for-truckies-reviewed.html
|
www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/01/04/sat-nav-error-leads-to-trucker-difficulties-in-north-wales-55578-27927534/
The local rag's version.
The signs in question are pretty clear in fairness - they even have them in graphic form for the particularly stupid.
Last edited by: Pugugly on Wed 5 Jan 11 at 22:53
|
The signs might well be pretty clear, but the right turning in Tremaddog is only for Beddgelert straight ahead.....surely it needs a 'Not suitable for HGV's' sign there?
It really is no good local council signing a bridge when you've already gone past the point of turning round with a lorry.
Wouldn't it be more productive to sign clearly and alternative HGV route?
I remember trying to get into Henley on Thames to make a delivery and every road I attempted had a weight limit on it, but no mention of an advisory HGV route to avoid the weight limited roads. A couple of hours later, and a lot of diesel, I gave up and used the one that looked widest.
It was a bank holiday and Halfords at Coventry use an awful lot of Agency Drivers who was obviously not familiar with the run and had been called in at the last minute.
We have a PDA Member who used to work for them through an agency and he was given this run but knew the night before where he was going. He posted on our forums for advice and got it.
Halfords don't provide route maps, but I'd like to bet they will be forced to in the future.
It's just a pity that as a new and inexperienced lorry driver, our 'apprenticeship' is always undertaken in the publics eye, and any mistakes we make are seen, and reported by everyone.
I think we can all safely say that we've made a cock up but managed to get out of it by the skin of our teeth, and then promptly while breathing a sigh of relief, we've made another one.
I know GB and Harleyman will recognise this situation and possible the OP as well.
On the subject of Satnavs, we were asked to find a driver to road test the latest Pronav, and Mr pda used it alongside his Tom Tom for a few weeks.
It performs very well, but even he, as an experienced driver stated that he would still need a map.
Pat
|
>> I remember trying to get into Henley on Thames to make a delivery and every
>> road I attempted had a weight limit on it, but no mention of an advisory
>> HGV route to avoid the weight limited roads. A couple of hours later, and a
>> lot of diesel, I gave up and used the one that looked widest.
>>
Know what you mean there Pat.
Once I had to 'see' a truck over Sonning bridge, because the signs can't be clearly seen off the A4, and once in the road there's nowhere to turn round.
He was just sat scratching his head for 10 mins, until I spoke to him, we looked and sussed his only choice was to go over the bridge.....
|
Sometimes when you sit scratching your head hard enough you get what you wish for Tony!
A sensible local resident.
Pat
|
The signs might well be pretty clear, but the right turning in Tremaddog is only for Beddgelert straight ahead.....surely it needs a 'Not suitable for HGV's' sign there?
You might have a point there Pat - just had a look at street view - I'll do a "live" check down there if the weather holds up this weekend (on the bike) the good news is that despite the cuts the Porthmadog by-pass will solve this at a stroke (well at least when it appears on sat-nav mappings) - it's well advanced now
|
It's painted in huge numbers on the tarmac with a right hand arrow, but if you have a lorry in front of you it's a total waste of time putting it there!
Sorry about my Welsh spelling, I must try harder!
Pat
|
|
Ah yes I see what you mean.. !
|
>> Is that not just the same photo from 2 different angles?
No they are at either ends of the village - the prannock didn't have the naws to realize that if he got stuck going one way he'd in all likelyhood get stuck on the way back, he got stuck even sooner as it happened and damaged some walls......
|
There are occasions of course when you simply have to negotiate obstacles like this in order to complete a delivery. About twenty per cent of the farms I go to would not receive any deliveries at all if drivers rigidly obeyed the "unsuitable for HGV's" signs, which are of course advisory and not mandatory. The trick is to know whether it is possible or not; and as I said above, if you don't know, ask.
We've got loads of these type of bridges here in west Wales; most are decorated at "pinch points" by the colour scheme of the latest haulier to attempt them. My map books ( I don't use satnav) are marked if they're impassable; as some of you will know there is a "truckers atlas" available but I don't think it flags up narrow roads, just bridges.
Incidentally you do get a few which are navigable in one direction but not the other, normally due to the angle of approach.
In this instance I'd guess the driver made the same mistake as many others, and not just HGV drivers; relying on the satnav's voice rather than studying a mapped overview first. A quick glance at a road map should have given him the clue as to which route was the easiest.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Thu 6 Jan 11 at 00:28
|
maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=pen+y+gwryd&fb=1&hq=pen+y+gwryd&cid=0,0,334599064735604496&hnear=&ll=53.083083,-4.007778&spn=0.00455,0.011802&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.081639,-4.0023&panoid=CWahlQMt6nsWsVhFGcpAlw&cbp=12,187.02,,0,10.74
I went up there today, purely in the interests of research, you understand - nothing to do with a blast in a BMW along some superbly graded and deserted roads, no no no nothing to do with that. Anyway when I got up there it was a foggy as Milliband's performance in PMQs this afternoon so I didn;t photograph the sign. This is the warning sign at the crest of the hill (just beyond a bus turn around lay by) the sign has got an additional graphic plate attached to it now at lorry driver eye-level. So no excuse from that direction. The driver would have had to drive past this sign to where he got stuck.
|
|
10 words on that sign before you get to anything important. That's not a warning sign that's a copy of war and peace. No wonder it gets ignored.
|
|
At least they put it on English - Abroad you'd be stuffed unless you read/spoke the language (as often have been and just chanced it ! )
|
>> At least they put it on English - Abroad you'd be stuffed unless you read/spoke
Its not abroad.
|
...nothing to do with a blast in a BMW along some superbly graded and deserted roads, no no no nothing to do with that...
Perhaps the driver was too busy doing the same, although I don't know how much fun you can have in a Halfords artic, even on good driving roads.
|
>>> Perhaps the driver was too busy doing the same, although I don't know how much fun you can have in a Halfords artic, even on good driving roads.
Perhaps he was watching that cooking programme??
|
|
Or actually cooking as one LGV driver was caught doing in the locality...
|
...Or actually cooking as one LGV driver was caught doing...
One of the first 'death by dangerous' cases was a Sainsbury's driver who was eating a Pot Noodle at the time he ploughed into a car on the hard shoulder.
|
>> One of the first 'death by dangerous' cases was a Sainsbury's driver who was eating
>> a Pot Noodle at the time he ploughed into a car on the hard shoulder.
I hope he got a staff discount on the pot noodle.
|
...I hope he got a staff discount on the pot noodle...
There was a long and detailed investigation into the case, but oddly enough, that was one of the stones which were left unturned.
Pity you weren't there Zero, you could have put them right.
|
Pot Noodles are bad for your health.
Pat
|
...Pot Noodles are bad for your health...
I quite like the orange one.
|
Won't one half be Welsh and the other half English? A pictogram would be better but we have a similar problem near us where people were driving to a ferry over the River Severn... which was just for pedestrians!
tinyurl.com/6etpg7v
|
|
There is a pictogram there now (since the Streetview was taken in Summer 2009) - maybe they should switch the signage to red on white to emphasise it - why TT don't include a "does my lorry look big in this" sort of app update ?- should be quite easy in programming terms !
|
|
Many companies provide HGV and exceptional convoy vehicle overlays for TomToms.
|
Blue signs are only advisory.........I think, not mandatory.
Pat
|
|
You're right - maybe there should be a width/length prohibition on the road, make more sense really. I haven't been to the other side yet, may have a trip out on the bike for that.
|
Please do PU, it's interesting to try and dig up what could have happened.
Of course the driver might just have been an idiot anyway!
We deliver to many farms that can only be accessed by the type of sign on that road, and often they're wider that roads with no warning at all.
I agree it should have a red sign with a lorry ban picture or a weight limit though.
You have an excuse to pop out on the bike again tomorrow now:)
Pat
|
|
Bike Bike Bike. Does he do ANY work? Lucky so and so.:)
|
|
The best - although I feel I need something despite myself !
|
|
I'd need to fund it somehow.
|
Halfords HGV N. Wales oops twice in two days! - Tooslow
